Reggie Ragland ready to do 'whatever they need' to get reps in heated Bills LB competition

Buffalo Bills linebacker Reggie Ragland is behind the proverbial eight-ball one week into the team’s Offseason Training Activities. After trading up in the second-round of the 2016 NFL draft to acquire the physical Alabama inside ‘backer, Ragland suffered a torn ACL during training camp, causing him to miss his entire rookie season while studying Rex Ryan’s 3-4 defensive scheme so he’d be ready to rock when 2017 rolled around.

2017 is here and out is Ryan, and in is coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier who are installing a 4-3 defense. Entering the draft, Ragland was viewed as the prototypical run-stuffing inside linebacker that was ideal for a 3-4 front, despite lacking elite coverage ability and athleticism.

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Drafted with the expectations to line up alongside Preston Brown – another big, physical inside linebacker – the starting jobs aren’t being seemingly handed out to either Ragland, nor Brown, who share similar traits and project best as ‘MIKE’ linebackers in a 4-3 front.

However, Ragland was cleared to practice on Thursday and despite working on a limited basis, he discussed his drive to compete and contribute in any way possible on defense but noted that he’d never played in a 4-3 scheme before.

“It’s going to let the linebackers move around and eat so I like it a lot. There is some stuff that I’ve still got to get used to because I’ve never played in a 4-3 before, but for the most part I’m getting there, taking my time with it, and I’m just asking all of the questions that I can ask because it’s different from being out there and then just being in the classroom and just learning it so I’m just taking my time.”

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“I told the coaches, I will do whatever they need me to do to get on the field,” Ragland said. “If I’ve got to slide over, it’s not going to stop me from working my tail off every day. If I have to do that, I will. I’m a competitor and I love this game. I love to play.”

Frazier was hesitant to commit to Ragland, pointing to him not being at 100-percent health yet, but also brought up Matt Milano and Tanner Vallejo, the team’s fifth and sixth-round draft choices as fits for the new scheme.

“Yeah, we hope so. You’ve got three linebackers on the field and we hope that we’ll try to mesh the right three in our 4-3 scheme and maybe that’ll be Lorenzo and Preston together or maybe it’ll be a different configuration,” said Frazier. “You always want to get your 11 best on the field and I believe that those guys will be part of our best 11.”

With an entirely new front office and coaching staff, there are no personal ties to the majority of players on the roster, meaning that these positional battles will be critical factors of Buffalo’s offseason as they look to put together a contending roster.

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